House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, 1)

The first book in the #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive fantasy series by #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom, and the power of love.

Other books in this series include:
House of Sky and Breath
House of Flame and Shadow

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Published Mar 2, 2021

816 pages

Average rating: 8.44

1,285 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

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kkahoalii

Dec 27, 2025

8/10 stars

It started off slow, and the love chemistry was slow for me. The ending though was amazing!

Zya The Book Dragon

Jul 16, 2025

10/10 stars

The best book I have read all year. Why did I wait so long? I couldn’t book this down. Sure, the first 200 pages can be rough, but once you really dive into it, this world doesn’t let you go. I loved everything from the modern world to the mystery to the deception. I cannot wait to start the second book!

Oree

Jun 25, 2025

8/10 stars

It felt like nothing was happening from pages 0 to around 650... then everything happened in the last 140 pages with like 5 ish pages leading you onto the next book.

Spice level is low... this book gets recommended with Quicksilver, but it's nowhere near as spicy, which isn't a bad thing as the story and world are interesting

StephGold

Jan 06, 2026

10/10 stars

I really enjoyed getting sucked into this book. The fantasy world Maas creates is so damned entertaining. There are deep political themes, intriguing characters, and some spicy sex scenes. I'm definitely reading the next installment of this series.

annabq1999

Jan 04, 2026

10/10 stars

Might have to give her other books a try again based off of how good this book was! This was such an interesting read and I'm very excited to see where this story goes!